Sometimes a bus monopoly looks bad, and sometimes it doesn’t

Four local politicians cast votes in favor of throwing away roughly $500,000 worth of taxpayer dollars Thursday.

That’s not exactly how they see it, but by tossing out what has been done so far and asking for new bids for bus routes that would be split between two companies instead of one, these four Regional Transportation Commission board members are wasting your money.

Two don’t like the idea of a monopoly, although that’s what we’ve had for decades. They are County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani and Las Vegas Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian.

Two don’t trust the numbers they have been provided and apparently don’t trust RTC staff that reviewed the numbers. They are RTC Chairman Larry Brown and Las Vegas Councilman Steve Ross, who question whether First Transit’s bid actually is $50 million lower than Veolia Transportation over seven years.

Fortunately, their idea sank because they couldn’t rally a fifth vote to pass the motion.

The prudent approach for the RTC board would have been to do as Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler and former Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury proposed. Accept the low bid from First Transit for the next three years and take the time to study whether splitting the contract in two would be a wise move.

But Tobler couldn’t find a fifth vote either, so it’s a standoff between the eight members of the board.

“It literally has turned into something embarrassing,” Brown said Friday.

He is going to try to negotiate a solution with Vice Chairman Robert Eliason, a North Las Vegas councilman who supported Tobler, before the contract reappears on the September RTC agenda.

Tarkanian, who I believe is sincere in her anti-monopoly philosophy, wasn’t on the RTC in March when the dispute first began over whether to give the contract to First Transit, the lowest bidder, or the folks who have had it for 19 years, Veolia. But the other three who sided with her were there.

Veolia representatives asked them to go back and start over, and all four voted that way.

When Veolia had the contract, nobody complained about a monopoly.

Four years ago, the board refused to split the contracts. But when it looked like Veolia was poised to lose the contract, suddenly a monopoly became a terrible thing.

Woodbury, a First Transit consultant and considered Mr. Transportation when he was on the commission, expressed my thoughts at the RTC meeting : “Veolia is a strong company. They’re a good company. They’ve generally served you well over the years. And they’ve been well compensated for that effort. But any kind of established relationship or feeling of allegiance should simply not be allowed to override the overwhelming public interest in preserving $50 million worth of vital public services.”

Woodbury reminded board members they were the ones who approved going out to bid for one contract. He didn’t know whether one contract or two would be the best way to go, but said it would take more time and more money to plan, create another proposal and evaluate.

He said the foursome who rejected First Transit look like they just want to keep the process going until Veolia wins the contract.

“Trust your staff and follow your own RFP,” request for proposal, Woodbury said.

The four who voted to accept First Transit and study other ideas in the meantime were Tobler, Eliason, Henderson Councilwoman Debra March and Mesquite Councilman Kraig Hafen. The rural representatives fear bus routes for their constituents would be cut if Veolia’s more expensive bid is accepted.

It’s doubtful any of them are going to blink and say they are willing to start over. They know the value of $1, or $500,000 or $50 million. They are protecting their bus riders, but they also are taking a pragmatic approach. Their position makes sense. Veolia’s request for a do-over does not.

Jane Ann Morrison’s column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Email her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call her at (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/Morrison